Technology isn’t just reshaping industries — it’s helping businesses significantly reduce their environmental impact, boost efficiency, and unlock entirely new ways of operating sustainably. 

Around the world, companies are using everything from AI and IoT to blockchain and automated systems to fight climate change and waste while improving their bottom lines.

🔌 1. Smarter Energy and Operations

AI-Driven Energy Savings
Tech giants are leading by example. For instance, Google uses artificial intelligence to optimise cooling systems in its data centres, cutting energy use substantially by adjusting operations in real time based on data from millions of sensors — a move that has significantly reduced carbon emissions from one of the most energy-intensive parts of the digital economy.

In commercial buildings, startups like Verdigris Technologies use AI and IoT sensors to monitor every electrical circuit in a facility and pinpoint inefficiencies — helping businesses reduce wasteful energy use.

📦 2. Sustainable Supply Chains and Materials

Tracking & Transparency with Technology
Global corporations are using sustainability software and data platforms to map and shrink emissions across supply chains. Unilever’s use of digital sustainability tools helped cut carbon emissions in its manufacturing processes by roughly 50%, showing how tech can make complex value chains greener.

Similarly, Walmart’s Project Gigaton uses technology to analyse partner emissions and aims to cut one billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from its supply chain by 2030 — a massive example of data-driven sustainability at scale.

Renewable Material Innovation
Tech isn’t just software — it’s also changing what products are made from. **UBQ Materials in Israel transforms mixed household waste into a bio-based plastic alternative, diverting waste from landfills and reducing emissions in manufacturing.

And recently, **Sony announced a major new renewable materials supply chain for its products, using biomass-based plastics across a network of global partners — a step toward its goal of zero environmental impact by 2050.

🛠️ 3. Circular Economy & Waste Reduction

AI-Enhanced Recycling
Companies like Recycle Track Systems (RTS) in North America use AI sensors and smart tracking systems to monitor waste and recycling streams — making it easier for businesses to reduce landfill use and analyse diversion rates with precision.

Elsewhere, organisations are integrating blockchain and digital traceability to track materials throughout their lifecycle, supporting circular economies where waste becomes a resource rather than a cost.

🌿 4. Innovation Across Sectors

Sustainable Agriculture Tech
Agritech tools like autonomous robots equipped with AI and connected via IoT (such as those developed by Ekobot and Telia in Europe) reduce the need for chemical herbicides by mechanically identifying weeds, cutting environmental impacts in food production.

Smart City Initiatives
Cities like Copenhagen use AI and connected systems to optimise district heating, boosting energy efficiency and aligning with broader climate goals — demonstrating how public infrastructure tech can amplify sustainability outcomes.

💼 5. Tech Leaders Making Sustainability Core to Strategy

Many of the world’s largest tech companies are committing to measurable sustainability goals and embedding technology into those strategies:

• Firms like Apple and Dell are reducing emissions, increasing recycled material use, and integrating renewable energy across global operations.
• Others like Amazon are scaling renewable power purchases and setting ambitious net-zero targets.

These examples show that sustainability isn’t a side project — it’s becoming central to competitiveness in the digital age.

✨ Why This Matters

From global supply chains to local operations, technology empowers businesses to measure, manage, and reduce environmental impact in ways that weren’t possible a generation ago. Whether it’s AI optimising energy in data centres, IoT tracking waste streams, or innovative materials replacing fossil fuels, these tools are unlocking sustainable growth across industries.

At its best, sustainability tech doesn’t just cut emissions — it drives innovation, creates new value for customers, and future-proofs businesses in a rapidly changing world.